{rtf1macansicpg10000cocoartf102
{fonttblf0fswissfcharset77 Helvetica;}
{colortbl;red255green255blue255;}
margl1440margr1440vieww13500viewh11000viewkind0
pardtx720tx1440tx2160tx2880tx3600tx4320tx5040tx5760tx6480tx7200tx7920tx8640qlqnatural
f0fs36 cf0 Bravettes bounced by Bears, again
Today
At Helena
Semifinals
10 a.m.
Helena Capital vs. CMR
Bozeman vs. Billings West
Loser Out
10 a.m.
Flathead vs. Missoula Sentinel
Billings Senior vs. Missoula Hellgate
'd1'd1'd1'd1'd1
Thursday
First Round
Helena Capital 2, Billings Senior 0
CMR 4, Missoula Hellgate 0
Bozeman 1, Missoula Sentinel 0 in OT
Billings West 2, Flathead 1
The Daily Inter Lake
HELENA 'd1 The Golden Bears dashed the Bravettes'd5 state championship hopes for the second straight year.
The Billings West High School girls soccer team edged Flathead 2-1 on Thursday in a Class AA state tournament quarterfinal match in Helena, sending the Bravettes to the losers'd5 bracket where they face Missoula Sentinel at 10 a.m. today.
The Golden Bears bounced the Bravettes (9-3-1) in last year'd5s quarterfinals, but Thursday'd5s game bore little resemblance to that 3-1 upset. The Bravettes were surprised by Billings West'd5s physical play last year and were taken out of their game plan early while losing their first match of the year. Thursday'd5s rematch was a tight contest, which the Golden Bears won on Samantha Sandau'd5s goal in the 73rd minute.
Billings West took a 1-0 lead when Lara Baum scored on a corner kick just before halftime, but Flathead'd5s Meghan O'd5Connel tied the match in the 43rd minute when she scored on a penalty kick.
'd2(Billings West) came out physical like I thought they would, so we played them tough and they got that one goal off the corner and then we tied it up right there at the beginning of the second half and it went back and forth in the second and (Sandau) received the ball on a cross and just beat two of our defenders and got a nice, close-range shot on our goal,'d3 said Flathead coach Scott Warnell.
Warnell said the loss was 'd2definitely disappointing for us, but we came out and played hard with them.'d3
According to Warnell, the Bravettes tried to frustrate the Golden Bears by passing around them and not allowing them to fight for balls.
'd2We didn'd5t do it as good as we could of, but I think the team as a whole stepped up and played well and we just got unlucky on a couple of plays,'d3 Warnell said.
Bozeman topped Sentinel 2-1 in overtime Thursday, setting up the third match of the season between Western AA'd5s Flathead and Sentinel. Warnell said it will be tough for the Bravettes to regroup today, knowing they aren'd5t playing for the championship and can finish no better than third.
'd2I guess we'd5ll see (today),'d3 Warnell said. 'd2They bounce back pretty good, I think, and they know how Sentinel plays, so we'd5ll come out and do what we need to do to hopefully take care of Sentinel (today).'d3
The Bravettes beat the Spartans 2-0 in their first meeting of the year, but tied them 2-2 in the rematch.
Billings West 1 1 'd1 2
Flathead 0 1 'd1 1
Billings West 'd1 Lara Baum, 38:00; Samantha Sandau, 73:00
Flathead 'd1 Meghan O'd5Connell, 43:00
Shots on goal 'd1 Billings West 16, Flathead 7
Corner kicks 'd1 Billings West 3, Flathead 2
Goalie saves 'd1 Billings West 4 (Chelsea Carl), Flathead 13 (Danika Pietron)
Total fouls 'd1 Billings West 9, Flathead 7
Yellow cards 'd1 Billings West 1, Flathead 0